I have been getting acne and wicked eczema on my face, neck, chest and back along with breaking hair and brittle nails for months now. My current dermatologist feels that it is all tied into my crohns and medications but feels that she does not have the knowledge or resources to treat me as a private practice doctor and I should find a dermatologist at one of the university hospitals such as NYU, Columbia or Cornell. Anyone have a crohns knowledgeable dermatologist in NYC to recommend?Jodi

ask yur insurance to mail you the the physicians book. i used to have AETNA and there books are bigger than a telephone book. I would give u a specific name if i actually knew any of them. but i only know surgeons. Dermatology extends 3 pages. Does yur insurance have this list of docs online for you? I think its called findadoc.com also

I can tell you from experience that the Remicade is giving you the weird acne. I took my first 2 infusions while I was still on Prednisone, which masked the effects. I could see like a weird prickly heat. than after my third infusion, and off the Prednisone, I started really breaking out. Currently I'm only on Pentasa and I'm not going to take Remicade anymore, I don't think it helped and it also screwed my mind up. My dermatologist was familiar with Remicade. He didn't think it caused the acne, but he's given me a prescription of Brevoxyl cream for my face along with 500 mg of Amoxocylin twice a day. neither has any bad effect for the crohns. I have only gotten more spots from the small little dots that were held back from the prednisone. nothing new. if you google, "remicade and acne" you see some other people who got it.

Medchrt1 - My insurance lists a ton of dermatologists and I also have no problem going outside of my plan, but I don't just want to pick a name out of a hat so to speak. There are way to many quack derms out there trying to sell you their products and I'm not into that at all. I really prefer a reference from someone who is in my shoes.

Mtbcubs2004- It's the eczema and the broken hair that bother me more than the zits. I can't take antibiotics - they all send me into a wicked flare up. I really just want to find a good, smart doctor who understands my problems and can think outside the box without having to try out half a dozen others to find him or her.Jodi

im sorry i wish i knew of a dermatolologist personally. If i may further respond that i believe crohns patients do produce proteins differently, for example i have striations on my finger nails. They are parallel lengthwise (longitudinal) see (fingernail pathology) lines from cuticle to the finger end. generally peoples nails have a smoother look. if you are on the right track>>that the protein such as nails and hair is being influenced, or even created differently so a dermatologist who understands how the protein created would be beneficial, not just a dermatologist who prescribes topically. But from experience the head and shoulders shampoo is far better than regular shampoos likely because of the zinc.